Public-Private Partnership Eases Costs

The Lancaster Community Safety Coalition is a nonprofit organization formed to prevent crime in Lancaster, Pa. As part of its mission, the Coalition has spearheaded the installation of a 164-camera surveillance system from Bosch Security Systems Inc. to monitor public spaces.

Bosch AutoDome and EnviroDome PTZ cameras are spread throughout the city, streaming video over more than 100 miles of fiber optic strands to the Coalition’s monitoring center. Coalition employees monitor live video from the cameras 16 hours per day. Using a Bosch Allegiant control system and an IntuiKey keyboard that controls the PTZ cameras, employees can switch between video streams from each of the cameras and hone in on suspicious activities or crimes in progress up to four blocks away.

The Coalition’s monitoring facility has a direct line to the city’s center for 911 calls. Coalition employees can send live video to flat-screen monitors in the emergency center to help the dispatchers communicate more effectively with officers.

Video helps police in investigation of crimes committed, often saving valuable police hours. In one incident, Coalition employees alerted police to video of an imminent fight on a city street, during which a man was killed. Officers, guided by video from the surveillance cameras, were able to find and arrest the shooter. In a previous case, similar in nature, but where the incident was not captured on video, the investigation took city police 1,600 hours to learn the identity of and apprehend the suspect.

Recorded video of crimes committed can be used as evidence against suspects, which has eliminated the need for court trials in some cases. Reducing the number of trials results in significant savings for the county, as court costs are estimated at $20,000 per trial.

“This video surveillance system is extremely progressive for a city the size of Lancaster,” said Joseph Morales, executive director, Lancaster Community Safety Coalition. “We are on the cutting edge with more cameras than any city in the state of Pennsylvania — even more than Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.” — Contributed by Bosch Security Systems

Did you enjoy this article? Click here to subscribe to Security Magazine.

Events

The tragedy of the United States domestic violence situation is impossible to quantify. There is both a sordid history and an on-going crisis; a crisis that has become normalized. Since 2000, approximately more than 20,000 women have been murdered by domestic partners, or "family terrorists".

Products

Effective Security Management, 5e, teaches practicing security professionals how to build their careers by mastering the fundamentals of good management. Charles Sennewald brings a time-tested blend of common sense, wisdom, and humor to this bestselling introduction to workplace dynamics.

Consolidation and technological advances are changing the face of the guarding industry. How will this affect enterprise security leaders? Learn more about changes to the security officer services industry as well as the Top Guarding Firms Listing in the December 2016 edition. Also in this issue: a new financial focus on cybersecurity, what to do in your first three months as a new CSO, the ostrich style of security management, and more.